The JAG Dog Training Club members took the Canine Good Citizen/Therapy Dog International test on Thursday, June 16th at Coastal Dog Training in Newport News. In spite of it being very warm in the testing building as there was no air conditioning, 100% of the Jefferson Lab dogs passed the test. The CGC/TDI evaluator was really impressed with the class. He thought the JLab dogs were very nice, well-behaved and would all make great therapy dogs.

About 96 percent of dogs who end up in shelters with behavioral problems have not received any obedience training, according to a recent study in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. But your dog doesn't have to become a part of this statistic! The JAG Dog Training Club is open to all employees, users, family members and their dogs. The club meets on Tuesday evenings at 7:00pm in the Support Service Center Lobby. If you are interested in becoming a member of the dog club and training your dog, please contact Joyce Miller, Captain, (ext. 7163 or miller@jlab.org) or Brian Kross, Co-Captain, (ext. 7022 or kross@jlab.org). In addition to the therapy dog class, the dog training club also has held classes in Agility Skills, Rally Obedience, K-9 Nosework and Canine Acting. The Canine Acting video, The Physicist's Elves, can be seen on Youtube:

Therapy dogs can be of any size and breed. Temperament is the key to being a good therapy dog in addition to being well trained. Therapy Dog International always gets requests for more therapy visits. More trained dogs are always welcome.

Once a month Dan Young, Physics Division Hall C designer, and his Samoyed, Nikko, visit patients at the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. In order to visit CHKD, in addition to his CGC/TDI rating, Nikko had to be evaluated by the CHKD program staff. Young takes along some of Nikko's show ribbons to pass out to the children.

Joyce Miller, Physics Division Hall A designer, and her greyhounds, Sammy and PG, will be attending an event called Greyhounds Rock in Fredericksburg, Va., this year, a fund raiser for canine cancer research at Ohio State University.

Brian Kross, Detector Group designer, and his boxer, Loki, participate in the Paws to Read program at Hampton and York public libraries.

Certification:

The Canine Good Citizen, CGC, is a certification program of the American Kennel Club. The dogs and handlers must complete a multi-step test. The primary objective of the Therapy Dog International, TDI, dog and handler is to provide comfort and companionship by sharing the dog with patients in hospitals, nursing homes and other institutions. This is done in a way that increases emotional well being, promotes healing, and improves the quality of life for the people being visited and the staff that cares for these people, according to the website.

Therapy Dog International receives many requests for therapy dog visits. Locally, The Arbors at Port Warwick senior community and the Peninsula Regional Jail are currently requesting therapy dog visits, so more trained dogs are always welcome and the JAG dogs can help fill those voids, Miller adds. To get an idea of how classes are taught check out this Youtube video:

Past Events:

What Every Dog Should Know About Quantum Physics

The JAG Dog Training Club kicked off its 2016 Therapy Dog/Canine Good Citizen class on Tuesday, February 9, at the special Science Series Lecture, "What Every Dog Should Know About Quantum Physics." The Science Education Dept. invited Chad Orzel, a popular science writer and assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Union College in upstate New York, to lecture at the lab. In addition to teaching and doing research at Union, he contributes physics-oriented articles to the Forbes blog http://www.forbes.com/sites/chadorzel/ and has written three books. Two of the books explain modern physics through imaginary conversations with his German Shepherd, Emmy.

JAG Dog Training Club Graduated its Sixth Class of Therapy Dogs in June of 2013

The JAG Dog Training Club graduated its sixth class of therapy dogs on Wednesday June 12, 2013. The latest class of Jefferson Lab therapy dogs will join the previous classes in visiting people in hospitals, nursing homes, schools and libraries, where they do everything from lift spirits to assist with children reading. Evidence of positive responses to such animal-assisted therapy has mostly been anecdotal but a recent study by VCU has shown that workplace therapy dogs make a positive difference by reducing stress levels. The JAG Dog Training Club dogs will do their part to alleviate stress at all the places they visit.

Holiday Party

The Jefferson Lab Dog Training Club held a holiday party for club members on Dec. 14, 2010. The group, including their canine buddies, played lots of holiday games and had a gift exchange between the dogs. A good time was had by all – both canine and human, according to Joyce Miller, club co-captain.